The Grass Doctor

What kind of lawn fertilizer should I use?

My lawn is thin and yellow so how to make it thick and green?

Public Comments

1. How to properly fertilize your lawn is completely dependant upon your location (in regards to climate) and soil type. Your question would be better suited for a local greenhouse or garden store. Without knowing your area I would reccomend a local Earl May store if available. Try going to www.EarlMay.com to start with. But to start with you should start with making sure your lawn is getting ample amounts of water. Also consider aerating your lawn. This can be achieved through very simply getting some "spike shoes" and can be purchased at a local garden store. All they are, are a set of long spikes that strap onto your shoes and you walk back and forth across your lawn poking holes in it. What this does besides poking holes in your yard is it aertaes it which allows for better drainage and breaks up hard and compact soil allowing the grass roots to expand and promotes better growth. Someting else would be to "thatch" or "de-thatch" your lawn. As grass grows it will eventually "choke" itself out of room to grow. So it is necessary to rake out the dead grass underneath the new grass thus making room for new roots, and allowing water to get to the root system. The process of rejuvinating your lawn is a relativly simple process but will take some effort on your part or you can hire a lawn service to fertilize and care for your lawn for you. I reccomend doing it yourself simply to save money and it also gets you out of the house to do somehing other than "veg" infront of the T.V.
2. It probably needs nitrogen, it may need other nutrients and lime. The place to start is with a good soil test... call your county extension office to see who tests in your area. Your lawn may also need core aeration and treatment for certain insects... but you'll have to test for those, too. Most extension services offer at least several pamphlets on lawn care for your state. If your state does not, look on the websites for extension service in the neighboring states. It'll give you a good start.
3. If you have pine or oak trees on your property your soil is probably acidic - to correct this apply some lime (dolomite) which is relatively inexpensive and your grass will green up almost immediately. If you haven't fertilized the lawn yet, then I recommend you use 19-19-19 fertilizer. You can purchase this at an agriculture supply center. I've used all the major brands of lawn fertilizer in the past, but this triple 19 fertilizer that the farmers use in their fields has given me the greenest lawn within days. It's a slow release type, and is so much cheaper than the popular store brands.